News & Events

NDT Apprenticeship Funding Update

Monday 15th, April 2019

The BINDT NDT Apprenticeship schemes have grown since development began in 2014; with over 100 apprentices currently on-programme for the NDT Operator, NDT Engineering Technician and NDT Engineer. With recent changes to funding legislation, it should make it easier for employers to take on new employees or upskill current staff.

New government funding legislationOne change that could greatly benefit SME’s is the new legislation for government funding of Apprenticeships.

From 1 April 2019, government funding increases to 95% and the rate of employer contribution reduces to 5% for all new apprenticeship starters for employers who do not pay the Apprenticeship levy.

In addition to this, from 2019, employers will also have to pay for the cost of training through the new Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) online account.

Apprenticeship Levy – Use it or lose itFor organisations with an annual payroll of more than £3million and pay the Apprenticeship Levy, all funds that appear in the Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) accounts will expire 24 months after they appear in the account. For example, funds that enter your account in May 2017 will expire in May 2019. The oldest funds remaining in an account will then expire each following month on a ‘first-in, first-out’ basis.

To date, only 14% of the total funds paid by apprenticeship levy employers have been spent, leaving more than £3bn unspent.[1] This may be a result of the perception that it is a time consuming process, employers are unsure how the levy works, or unaware how to access the funds. From May, unspent levy funds will return to the Treasury on a monthly basis. Assuming there is not a last-minute surge in apprenticeship commitments, around £168m is set to return to the Treasury in May alone.[2]

NDT Apprenticeship Employer Forum Event
If you are thinking about taking on an apprentice but unsure how to go about this, what it entails or how exactly the funding works, come along to the NDT Apprenticeships Employer Forum event on 15 May.

The event is designed to raise awareness about NDT Apprenticeships and funding, providing a space for employers to gather information and ask any questions they may have. There will be presentations from leading industry professionals about the different NDT Apprenticeships available, funding, as well as experiences from both employers and apprentices currently on programme. Click here to view the event agenda.

We are supporting the event, which will take place at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre in Coventry; and will be available to talk about any NDT training queries.

The event is free to attend and CPD points will be awarded to all attendees.

For more information or to register your attendance, please click here.